Get Me Off The Dole on Twitter
May 14th, 2009
It seems that every man and his dog are on Twitter these days so I thought I would see what all the fuss is about. At first glance, it looks like a bunch of people with nothing better to do than send silly text messages to one another. You would think that people would have better things to do. If you read some of these messages you’d think everyone’s gone nuts – I certainly did (I still think many of them have anyway).
It seems that some of the largest companies, celebrities and politicians also use this medium. In fact Twitter has grown so much that it is even more popular than CNN!.
After doing some real digging I found that you can be amongst the first to hear the latest news on practically anything. In fact some of the top news agencies also use Twitter to get tip-offs for the latest gossip.
Here’s a little tip. Go to Twitter Search (search.twitter.com) and type in the following into the search box:
jobs uk create OR new
When you see the search results, select the news item by clicking on the web address (URL) which begins with ‘http’. So what good is this? Monitor these results frequently to do some prospective job hunting. Remember about the “Hidden Job Market”? Well this is one avenue. These jobs won’t necessarily be advertised yet. Take the initiative and write to the Human Resources Manager.
Like me, I’m sure this will change your perception of Twitter. It is one seriously useful tool.”
Where the hidden job market is
May 5th, 2009
People are always asking me where is the hidden job market. My response is quite simple, it’s all around you. It’s a case of not being able to see the wood for the trees! Sometimes you need to take a few steps back and look at the whole picture.
Just like people have been brought up to buy their food from the supermarkets (rather than hunting for it themselves) they also are accustomed to getting jobs ‘over the counter’ from recruitment agencies or job adverts etc. Your next job can be as close as your nearest friend. One of the ways to tap into this ‘hidden’ job market is to keep in touch with your friends on a regular basis and ensure that they all know you are looking for a specific job.
Another place to find jobs is to keep an eye on the local news. Are there any companies moving into your area? Are any companies merging? Is there any unusually large building work going on where you live? Check out the planning applications at your local council or library and see if any company has applied for planning permission as this is evidence of business growth.
Above all, get out of the habit of just looking through the job adverts and only visiting recruitment agencies for your next job and you will begin to see the wood from the trees.
